Cartons



March 20, 1962 P. WASYLUKA CARTONS I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 14, 1960 March 20, 1962 P. WASYLUKA 3,025,999

CARTONS Filed July 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 HTM y March 20, 1962 P, WA'SYLUKA 3,025,999

CARTONS Filed July 14, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 69 Q so P901 wAsyL 4 0 IAN/IN 102. 80 77 95 Z J i United States Patent Ofiice 3,025,999 Patented Mar. 20, 1962 3,0253% CARTONS Paul Wasylulra, St. Louis, Mo., assignor, by mesne assignrnents, to Unipak Cartons Ltd., Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Filed July 14, 1960, Ser. No. 42,932 8 Claims. (Cl. 220-113) This invention relates to a carton particularly for bottles, but which may be used for carrying other articles if desired.

One object of the present invention is to provide such a carton with an improved interior assembly defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such a carton with an improved interior assembly defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments and a cooperating carrying handle.

Accordingly, this invention relates to a carton having a wall structure comprising side and end walls and a bottom; an interior assembly fixed to said wall structure defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments; said interior assembly including a pair of unitary members; a first of said members extending along the entire longitudinal axis of the carton to form a longitudinal partition secured, at the ends thereof, to mutually opposed end walls of said carton; a second of said members being secured to mutually opposed side walls of the carton to form at least a pair of integral complementary transverse partitions located either side of said longitudinal partition having a portion thereof extending beneath said longitudinal partition.

An example of a preferred form of this invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a closed carton with parts thereof broken away to disclose the interior assembly thereof;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a transverse partition and part of the longitudinal partition of the interior assembly;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a closed carton with the handle projecting therefrom for carrying purposes;

FIGURE 4 is a plan view of the carton with the top FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4, with the handle in its lower position;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary view similar to FIGURE 5, showing the handle in its raised or outer position;

FIGURE 7 is a cross section taken on the line 77 of FIGURE 4 with the handle in its inner position;

FIGURE 8 is a section taken on the line 88 of FIG- URE 4 with the handle in its upper position;

FIGURE 9 is a fiat layout of the one-piece blank from which the longitudinal partition is formed; and

FIGURE 10 is a fiat layout of the one-piece blank from which the transverse partitions are formed.

Referring to the drawings, the carton 10 includes a standard rectangular casing or wall structure 11 having a bottom 12, side walls 13 and 14, end walls 15 and 16. In this embodiment, the carton is provided with a top closure 18 which is formed in the conventional manner, and includes the usual outer side flaps 20 and 21, and end flaps 23 and 24. The inner edges of the side flaps 20 and 21 do not quite meet so that a slot 26 is formed in the top closure 18 when the latter is closed extending longitudinally and centrally of said top closure. If desired, side flaps 2t and 21 may be formed with finger pieces 27 at the inner edges thereof centrally of the casing. These finger pieces are scored and hinged to their respective flaps in such a way that they may be swung upwardly as indicated in FIGURE 3 to permit limited access to the interior of the carton. Obviously, however, the carton may be open-topped and the top closure 18 entirely dispensed with.

The interior assembly of the carton is fixed to the wall structure and defines adjacent rows of article receiving compartments. The interior assembly includes a pair of unitary members a first of which extends along the entire longitudinal axis of the carton to form a longitudinal partition which, in the embodiment shown in the drawings, includes a pair of panel members 34, 53 spaced apart throughout their length.

One longitudinal partition 34 extends vertically from near the casing top 18 to near the bottom 12. In the illustrated carrier, the upper edge 42 of the longitudinal partition is located immediately beneath top 18 when the latter is closed. In other words, the edge 42 engages the under surfaces of end flaps 23 and 24 of the top 18 when this top is closed, see FIGURE 7. The lower edge 43 of the longitudinal partition is preferably spaced a little above bottom 12, but it may extend it to said bottom if desired.

Longitudinal partition panel 34 is provided with integral flaps 45 and 46 at the ends thereof each for attachment on adjacent end wall 15, 16 of the carton by suitable means, such as glue, staples or the like. These flaps preferably extend the height of panel 34, and are wide enough to cover approximately half of their respective casing end walls, see FIGURE 4, which shows flap 45 extending in one direction from the panel 34 and flap 46 extending in the opposite direction from said panel, said flaps being secured to end Walls 15 and 16, respectively. 1

The other, or selected, panel 53 forming the longitudinal partition extends parallel to the longitudinal partition panel 34 and is secured at its'upper edge to the upper edge 42 of said panel 34 so as to form a common upper edge. For ease of manufacture and assembling of the carton, it is preferable to make longitudinal panel 53 and longitudinal panel 34 from a one-piece blank 55, as shown in FIGURE 9. The blank 55 is folded along a longitudinal line 56 to form the common upper edge of the longitudinal partition. Although panel 53 may extend to the lower edge 43 of the panel 34, it is preferable to terminate it at an edge 58 which is located above the lower edge of the panel 34. Thus, the depth of the selected panel 53 is less than the depth of the other 34 of said pair of panel members.

Panel 53 preferably is formed with integral glue tabs 63 and 64 along the end edges thereof. Tab 63 is relatively wide and overlaps a large cutout 65 in partition flap 45 in order that it may be secured by glue, staples or the like to end wall 15 of the casing. Tab 64 is relatively narrow so that when it is secured to casing end wall 16 by glue, staples or the like, flap 46, which overlaps said tab, still bears against wall 16, Although the longitudinal partition of the embodiment shown in the drawings is constituted by a pair of panel members, it is within the scope of the invention for it to be formed from only one such panel member.

The second unitary member forming the interior assembly defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments, provides at least a pair of integral complementary transverse partitions so as to divide the two adjacent longitudinal rows, formed by the longitudinal partition, into four cells 3?. However, it is preferable to provide a plurality of these complementary pairs of transverse partitions in order to produce more than four cells within the casing. As the complementary pairs of trans verse partitions 37 are identical, one only will now be described in detail.

Each complementary pair of transverse partitions 37 has a low central section 75 extending beneath longitudinal partition 34, 53 and integral side sections 76 and 77 on opposite sides of said longitudinal partition extending upwardly relative thereto, see FIGURES 7 and 8. The outer edges of sections 76 and 77 are formed with foldedover wing tabs 79 and 3% which are secured to adjacent side walls 13, 14 of the carton by glue, staples, or other suitable means. The inner edges of vertical side sections 76' and 77 extend upwardly near the longitudinal partition. It will be noted that the low central section 75 of divider 37 is folded over at 32 to provide a double thickness of material which acts as a brace for the side sections 76 and 77. In addition to this, suitable means are provided co-ac=ting between the longitudinal partition and the complementary pair of transverse partitions to prevent displacement of the latter longitudinally of the carton. These means include a plurality of spaced vertical slots 84 in the lower edge 43 of the longitudinal partition panel 34, one slot for each complementary pair of transverse partitions 37. Each slot 84 preferably has an enlarged entrance 85. When the longitudinal partition and transverse partitions are in place within the casing, the central section 75 of each complementary pair of transverse partitions fits into the slot 84 in the longitudinal partition.

It is also preferable to form the transverse partitions 37 from a one-piece blank 88 as shown in FIGURE 10. The transverse partitions are formed by a plurality of spaced diagonal slits 90 centrally of the blank, and spaced and parallel slits 91 exteding laterally from opposite ends of said slits 90. Slits 90 form the low central sections 75 of the transverse partitions, while the slits 91 form the side sections 76 and 77 thereof. Parallel fold lines 54 and 95 in the blank form the glue wing tabs 79 and 80. Blank 88 is cut out at diagonally opposite corners 97 and 98. This blank is folded along a longitudinal central line 39 which extends through the middles of the central section 75 of the transverse partitions. This results in the folding over of the central sections so that the latter overlaps a predetermined amount of the lower portion of each transversely aligned pair of transverse partitions to form the central braces for the transverse partitions. Strips 101 and 102 connect the outer edges of the side sections 76 and 77 together to help keep them in place when the wing tabs 79 and 86 and said strips are beingglued or otherwise secured to the side walls of the casing.

Although, as described above, the interior assembly of the carton merely includes two unitary members purely for partitioning purposes, it is within the scope of the present invention to include a slidable carrying handle and means for limiting the amount of movement of said carrying handle in either of its two directions of movement. Accordingly, a slot 59 is formed in the common upper edge of the longitudinal partition and a handle 50 is inserted between and slidably guided by the pair of spaced longitudinal partition panel members 34, 53, said handle 50 having a hand-carrying portion adapted to extend through said slot 59.

The slot 59 may be enlarged at the central portion thereof,'as indicated at 60, to make it easier to grip the hand-carrying portion of the handle 50 when the latter is in its lowermost position between the panel members 34, 53, and FIGURE illustrates how this enlargement of the slot 60 exposes a portion of the handle 50 even when the latter is completely between said panel members 34, 53.

In order to provide means for limiting the amount of downward movement of the handle 50, a portion of the panel member 53, adjacent to the lower edge 58 therof, is secured to other longitudinal partition panel member 53 so as to provide a lower stop surface for said handle 50 and to bring the latter to a position immediately below the upper edge of the wall structure or below the casing top 18, as clearly shown in FIGURE 7.

Means co-acting between the handle member and longitudinal partition are also provided to limit the amount of upward movement of said handle and these means include shoulders 66, 67 secured to or integral with the handle 50. The shoulders 66, 67 are located between the spaced longitudinal partition panel members 34, 53 and project beyond the end of the handle slot 59, as shown in FIGURES S and 6.

These shoulders are such that when handle 59 is drawn outwardly from the carton a predetermined distance, they engage the underside of the common upper edge of the longitudinal partition to limit said movement. Handle 56 is also provided with a hand hole 68 therein which is located above casing top 18 when the handle is in its outer position. This handle and its associated shoulders are preferably formed of a single piece of material folded over at 69 which constitutes the upper or outer edge of the handle. The material 70 which is cut out to form hand hole 63 in the handle is left attached to the latter along the line 71 in order to form sort of a pad to make it easier to carry the casing by means of a persons fingers rojecting through hand hole 63.

When the top closure is open and casing 11 is ready to be loaded, the longitudinal partition 34 retains the transverse partitions in their proper positions within said casing. Once the bottles or other articles are inserted into cells 39, top panels 20, 2.1, 23 and 24 are closed and sealed in the usual manner. At this time, handle 50 is completely within casing 11. When it is desired to carry the casing, finger pieces 27 are pried upwardly or downwardly to enable a person to insert a thumb and finger into the carton to grip the hand carrying portion of handle 50 which is exposed by the enlargement of slot 59. The handle is then drawn upwardly into the position shown in FIGURE 3 in order that the casing may be carried thereby. At this time, shoulders and 66 engage the common upper edge 42 of the longitudinal partition to limit the outward movement of the handle. The longitudinal partition takes the load at this time. As previously stated, the common upper edge of the longitudinal partition is preferably immediately beneath the lower surfaces of end flaps 23 and 24 so that said top flaps, which are connected to the end walls of the casing, help to take the load. Even if the common upper edge of the longitudinal partition is not all the way up to the casing top, any distortion of said partition results in the upper edge thereof coming into contact with flaps 23 and 24. When top 18 is open, the casing may still be carried by means of the handle, at which time, the longitudinal partition through its connection to end walls 15 and 16 through flaps and tabs 45, 46, 63 and 64 takes the full load. The longitudinal partition prevents the bottles on opposite sides thereof from contacting each other when the casing is laid on one of its side walls 13 or 14. Similarly side sections 76 and 77 of the transverse partitions project upwardly from the bottom of the casing to prevent the bottles in adjacent compartments of the same row from contacting each other.

I claim:

1. A carton having a wall structure comprising side and end walls and a bottom; an interior assembly fixed to said wall structure defining adjacent rows of article receiving compartments; said interior assembly including a pair of unitary members; a first of said members being formed from a first one-piece blank of resilient material cut, scored, and folded to provide a longitudinal partition extending along the entire longitudinal axis of the carton, said partition having integral means at either end thereof for attachment to an adjacent said end wall of the carton; a second of said members being formed from a second one-piece blank of resilient material cut, scored, and folded to provide at least a pair of complementary side sections adapted to form a pair of complementary transverse partitions each of a predetermined thickness and located either side of said longitudinal partition and extending upwardly relative to said longitudinal partition, a central portion integrally connecting said pair of side sections together, and a pair of wing panels each integral with an associated side section and adapted to be secured to an adjacent said side wall of the carton; said central portion being folded so as to provide a pair of brace portions for said pair of transverse partitions, each of said brace portions extending beneath said longitudinal partition and projecting from either side thereof, each of said brace portions being in the same vertical plane as an associated said side section and overlapping a predetermined amount of the lower portion of the latter, said pair of brace portions having a combined thickness equal to the sum of the thickness of said pair of side sections.

2. A carton according to claim 1 including at least one slot formed in the underedge of said longitudinal partition, the width of said slot being such that the latter accommodates a portion of the upper edge of each of said brace portions to prevent displacement of the latter longitudinally of said carton.

3. A carton according to claim 2 wherein said longitudinal partition is constituted by a pair of panel members spaced apart throughout their length and connected together at their upper edge to form a common upper edge.

4. A carton according to claim 3 wherein said common upper edge includes a slot formed therein; a handle member located between and slidably guided by said pair of panel members; a hand carrying portion of said handle member projecting through said slot; said handle member being vertically slidable relative to said longitudinal partition.

5. A carton according to claim 4 including shoulders on said handle member which, on upward movement of the latter, engage with the underside of said common edge whereby upward movement of said handle member is limited.

6. A carton according to claim 5 including atop closure for said carton and wherein said hand carrying portion of said handle is adapted, when the latter is moved upwardly, to project above said top closure for carrying purposes.

7. A carton according to claim 4 including a lower stop surface to limit the amount of downward movement of said handle member, said stop surface being formed by the adhesion of the lower portion of a selected one of said panel members with the other of said panel members.

8. A carton according to claim 7 including a top closure for said carton and wherein said hand carrying portion of said handle is adapted, when the latter is moved upwardly, to project above said top closure for carrying purposes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,413,315 Darragh Dec. 31, 1946 2,609,137 Toensmeier Sept. 2, 1952 2,692,701 Lighter Oct. 26, 1954 2,693,298 Palmer Nov. 2, 1954 2,794,572 Goss June 4, 1957 2,850,206 Pasjack Sept. 2, 1958 2,900,106 Vesak Aug. 18, 1959 2,943,762 Richardson July 5, 1960 

